Robo Advisor comparison
InvestSMART Robo Advice vs Spaceship Voyager
The biggest difference between these two is access: InvestSMART is a full managed-funds platform for serious investors with $10,000 to start, while Spaceship Voyager is a low-cost, no-minimum robo for beginners and younger savers. InvestSMART gives you SMSF, trust and joint accounts plus bonds; Spaceship offers US ETFs with fractional shares and zero brokerage but holds everything in a custodian model.
Choose
InvestSMART Robo Advice
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and to hold investments directly in your own HIN
- ›You need SMSF, trust, company or joint account structures
- ›You want access to bonds and managed funds alongside Australian ETFs
- ›You're investing $10,000 or more and want a flat $880/year fee regardless of balance growth
- ›You value extensive education content and free research reports
Choose
Spaceship Voyager
if…
- ›You want to start investing with no minimum deposit — even $1 gets you in
- ›You want US ETFs and fractional shares exposure without dealing with FX spreads on every trade
- ›You prefer a simple custodian model with zero brokerage and a flat $3/month fee
- ›You want faster withdrawals (1-2 business days) compared to InvestSMART's 4-5 days
- ›You're comfortable with an app-only experience — there's no desktop platform
Where they differ
| Fact | InvestSMART Robo Advice | Spaceship Voyager |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $10,000 | $0 |
| Annual fee | $880/year flat | $36/year ($3/month) |
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes (CHESS) | No (custodian) |
| US ETFs & fractional shares | Not supported | Supported |
| Account types | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF | Individual only |
Verdict
Choose InvestSMART if you have $10k+ and want CHESS ownership; choose Spaceship if you're starting small and want cheap US exposure.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | InvestSMART Robo Advice | Spaceship Voyager |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | — | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | AU | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | — | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | — | 0.7% |
| Holds USD account | No | No |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | — | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | — | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | Voyager: managed fund structure means corporate actions are handled inside the fund — no investor-level corporate action fees. US Investing: voting and mandatory corporate actions including dividends are free; Voluntary Corporate Actions (VCA) fee of US$100 per action processed. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | — | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | No brokerage applies to Voyager portfolios; investments are made via unit-trust managed funds with no transactional fees, regardless of order size. |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $3/month |
| Annual platform fee | $880/year | $36/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | InvestSMART Funds Management Ltd | Spaceship Capital Limited |
| AFSL number | 246,441 | 501,605 |
| Year founded | 1,999 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | InvestSMART Group Limited (ASX:INV) - publicly listed parent | eToro Group Limited (acquired Spaceship 2024, fully owned subsidiary) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $10,000 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $100 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Direct Debit | Direct debit, PayTo |
| Settlement period | T+2 | Voyager: T+1/T+2 unit pricing (managed fund). US Investing: T+1 (US standard). |
| Withdrawal time | 4-5 business days | 1-2 business days from redemption request to funds in available money balance; additional bank transfer time to external account. |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | optional | SMS + PIN |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat | Email, Phone, Live chat, In-app chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | 9:00am-5:30pm AEST Mon-Fri | Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm Sydney time (business days only) |
| Education content | extensive | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | — | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | — | No |
| Conditional orders | — | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | basic | weighted |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |